To protect the drill pipes, the drilling industry uses a rubber-like protective sleeve consisting of a ring-shaped spring-steel band as an inner part and a protective cover vulcanized onto this spring-steel band by means of a sanded vulcanizable material. The ring-shaped sleeve open at one place in the ring is then closed and locked into position by a wedge. When the wedge is driven in, the protective sleeve is frictionally clamped onto the drill pipes. In general, the drill pipes are provided with a protective sleeve at every 9 m of their length.
When drilling in rock and also within the casing pipe, the drill pipe rotates unevenly in the direction of rotation, and it would be subject to substantial wear without the protection offered by the sleeve. The protective sleeves known are only open on one side and have to be bent open initially with great effort by means of special pliers so that they can be placed around the drill pipe; subsequently, they are bent together again and clamped onto the drill pipe. The protective covering which is vulcanized on, is subject to substantial wear and furthermore opposes the motive power with a considerable frictional resistance.